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4-14 
























WILLIAM T. TILDEN, 2D 




EilJi— 

zi □ |— 

Spai.ding “ Red Cover '* Serii 
Athletic Handbooks 

-—ilnE 

es oF j □ r 

U 

No. 104R 

u 


The Expert 


BY 

WILLIAM TTTILDEN, 2d 


Illustrations of 

Tilden, Johnston and other prominent players in action 
with critical comment by 

SAMUEL HARDY 

Captain Davis Cup Team, 1920 


PUBLISHED BY 


n AMERICAN SPORTS PUBLISHING 

J L n COMPANY 

-3 D I—n 45 Rose Street, New York 

[jgjL 1 .-= = 


r-ni 

j □ nr 

iniil 














G^V <=i 5 ' 

7T55 


Copyright, 1923 

BY 

American Storts Publishing Company 
New York 




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73 


©C1A708391 


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CONTENTS 

Introduction. 

Preface. 

What the Gallery Demands 

Avoid Worry. 

Nervousness and Training . 

Advice to the Tournament Player 
Conservation of Energy. 

Psychology of Tennis 

The Match Player .... 

Changing One’s Game . 

Importance of Playing to the Score 
Turning Losing Shots Into Winners 
Winning on Opponent’s Weaknesses 
The Swing of the Pendulum 
Modern Tennis an All-Round Game 
The Future Champion. 


PAGE 

5 
7 
9 

16 
18 
21 

2 5 

29 

3 1 
35 
39 
43 
53 

59 
61 




ILLUSTRATIONS 

The descriptive comment under all illustrations 

contributed by Samuel Hardy page 

William T. Tilden, 2d. Frontispiece 

Tilden in action.10 

William Johnston and William T. Tilden, 2d, in the 1920 

Davis Cup Matches.12 

Norman E. Brookes serving .14 

The topspin drive of Robert Lindley Murray .... 20 

Willis E. Davis watching the direction of his baseline chop 

to the backhand.26 

A difficult backhand smash by Norman E. Brookes . . 28 

Backhand volley by William T. Tilden, 2d.32 

The famous Spanish player, Alonso, intercepting an at¬ 
tempted pass on his backhand at the net .... 34 

Howard Voshell volleying.38 

Typical English backhand of F. Gordon Lowe .... 40 

Norman E. Brookes smashing.42 

Vincent Richards making a remarkable return at the net . 44 

Nat W. Niles reaching for a low forehand volley .... 46 

J. B. Adoue making a backhand crosscourt slice .... 48 

Irving C. Wright slicing to the backhand.52 

The Japanese player, Shimizu, making a low, backhand volley 54 

William M. Johnston making an offensive backhand slice 

down the alley.56 

A sliced backhand volley by Frank T. Anderson .... 58 











INTRODUCTION 


As Captain of the American team that 
invaded England and New Zealand in the 
successful effort to regain possession of the 
Davis Cup, the writer has had unusual opportu¬ 
nities to watch the personal application of the 
principles advocated by Mr. Tilden in this 
volume. 

Mr. Tilden is a great student of tennis, and 
his own success lies not alone in the perfection 
of his technique but in his ability to analyze 
the game of his opponent and to adapt his own 
strokes accordingly. It is this habit of study, 
this ability to analyze strokes, that makes 
Mr. Tilden so successful either as a player or a 
teacher. 

The lesson that he would convey to the 
players of America is the value of thought 
quite as much as the value of perfect execution. 
He himself, is the best example of the co¬ 
ordination of these two essential factors, and 
therefore his instructions possess the merit of 
being both practical and theoretical. 

SAMUEL HARDY. 


Books by Wm. T. Tilden, 2d, in the 
Spalding Athletic Library Series 


No. 102R. “The Kid” 

No. 103R. “Better Tennis for the Club Play 
No. 104R. “The Expert” 


Price, each, 25 cents 


Spalding's Athletic Library 


PREFACE 

When I was asked to write a book to the 
tennis expert I hardly knew where to begin, 
for I felt there was so much I had yet to learn. 

I do not pretend to know all there is to know 
of tennis. I believe that the greatest problems 
of the game have only been sensed by a few 
great students. Such a man as Norman E. 
Brookes is far more worthy to treat this subject 
than am I; yet “Fools rush in where angels 
fear to tread,” so I dare to offer my advice on 
Championship Tennis—its Psychology, Tactics 
and Training. 

Few players realize the great advantage it is 
to understand crowd psychology. The average 
player will set down a demonstration of ap¬ 
proval or disapproval by a gallery on a purely 
personal basis. The truth of the matter is, 
it may be personal or it may be a natural 
reaction to causes that are not at all personal. 

Certain players are always favorites with 
the gallery and this fact is a decided factor in 


8 


Spalding’s Athletic Library 

their success. I doubt if the players themselves 
realize how great a part it plays in their success, 
yet it is the stimulus that provides the needed 
incentive. Galleries love the sparkling personali¬ 
ties of M. E. McLoughlin and R. L. Murray, 
and the enthusiasm of the crowd carries those 
players along with it. Billy Johnston, Wallace 
Johnson, Watson Washburn and Ichiya Kuma- 
gae make their appeal by the businesslike 
manner in which they play the game. The 
crowds spur them on by taking them very 
seriously. Dick Williams catches a crowd by 
his cheery manner and inconsequential air on 
the court, but in my opinion this attitude often 
gains him the gallery and robs him of extreme 
concentration on his match, because the crowd 
demands the other of him. 

“Chuck” Garland and Vinnie Richards appeal 
to a gallery through the spirit of youth that 
they radiate, and the crowd invariably will 
spur them on through its keen desire to see 
the youngster win. 


W. T. T., 2d. 


Spalding's Athletic Library 


9 


Chapter I 

WHAT THE GALLERY DEMANDS 

What do we learn from all these players, of 
the things in tennis that a crowd demands? 
What is it that wins popularity? It is always 
easier to play before a friendly audience than 
a hostile one, and for that reason a match 
player might as well study the situation. 

The crowd demands:— 

1. Good sportsmanship. That goes without 
saying and needs no comment. 

2. Determination and a willingness to give 
of a player’s best. 

3. Modesty, generosity and good nature. 

4. Individuality. 

Be natural and you will catch your crowd. 
They may at first claim you are conceited, but 
as they come to know you they will recognize 
the difference between pose and self-expression. 





William T. Tilden, 2d, is a master of all styles of play and a bewil¬ 
dering variety of strokes. He habitually interchanges his topspin 
drive with heavily undercut slice, uses one of a dozen different 
services, and varies the length and pace of his strokes so that his 
opponent is never quite sure what to expect. Tilden possesses 
uncommon fleetness of foot and an extraordinary reach and 
suppleness. Combined with this unparalleled equipment is a 
tennis brain of the first order, which makes him quick to discern, 
and to profit by, the mistakes of an opponent. Photo by Levick. 





















Spalding's Athletic Library 1 1 

The American gallery is always for the under 
dog. If you are beating a prominent player 
you must make up your mind that the sympathy 
of the gallery will be with him. 

Do not think this sympathy is a personal 
disapproval. It is not. It is merely the desire 
to see the loser make a game fight and the 
match a close battle. 

Keep your head and your temper and play 
your own game regardless, and you will get a 
square deal. 

Bad temper over decisions always puts a 
player in wrong. I know, for it is an old 
failing of mine and one which I have striven 
long—and I hope successfully—to overcome. 
The crowd dislikes a grouch and very justly 
shows its disapproval. 





William M. Johnston William T. Tilden, 2d 


Tilden and Johnston, America’s victorious doubles team in the 
1920 Davis Cup matches. Note the aggressive action, both 
men advancing to the net after one of Johnston’s forcing 
drives. Each man is eagerly following the ball’s flight and 
preparing for a “kill” at the net in the event of a return. 









Spalding's Athletic Library 


13 


Chapter II 
AVOID WORRY 

Do not worry over your opponent’s good 
shots or the breaks of luck. Give him full 
credit for the good ones and grin at the breaks. 
To do so will gain you the sympathy of the gal¬ 
lery, while to do otherwise only will upset you 
and possibly prejudice you with the audience. 

The crowds that attend tennis matches in 
America are always fair and just. Fair play is 
part of the athletic tradition of the American 
nation. At the same time they are partial. 
They always pick a favorite and back him. 
If they pick you, turn it to your account and 
gain the full inspiration from their favor. 

If they choose the other man, do not take it 
as a personal insult, but play your match cheer¬ 
fully, generously and to the best of your ability, 
and you are assured of a fair deal and stand 
an even chance of swinging the crowd to you. 

From the purely personal angle, it never pays 
to worry about the breaks of luck. A bad break 




Norman E. Brookes serving. Position of arm and racket, well 
away from body, indicate a twist service with considerable break. 
Left foot is coming into court after delivery of .service, as he 
starts for the net. x\s will be noted, Brookes is left-handed. 















15 


S pal ding s Athletic Library 

of luck never can cost more than the point 
itself, but the resultant worry may lose you 
several others. Therefore, if a lucky netcord shot 
or a bad decision costs you an important point, 
forget it at once and do not brood over it, lest 
it cost you the game or set in the future. 

Concerning bad decisions in match play: If 

* 

a player once gets firmly fixed in his mind the 
fact that they are always bound to occur in 
some degree and that they are only the result 
of error and never of deliberate intention, his 
resultant anger will be much less. The best 
of linesmen make mistakes, and although it 
hurts to have a perfect shot taken from you, 
just remember it was unintentional and forget 
it; then go in and win the next point. 

Many a great match has been lost by one 
man losing his temper at a bad decision after 
he had the match as good as won. 

Match play is a battle of wits always, and 
anything that tends to cloud or dwarf your 
judgment, such as worry, anger, discourage¬ 
ment or nervousness, lowers your morale and 
injures your chances. 


16 Spalding 9 s Athletic Library 


Chapter III 


NERVOUSNESS AND TRAINING 

Just a word on nervousness. Any athlete 
who goes into a big game without a feeling 
of nervousness before the start is not fit to 
play. We have the words of such famous 
trainers and coaches as the late Mike Murphy, 
the famous University of Pennsylvania track 
coach; Walter Camp and others. The player 
always feels nervous if he is keen, but that 
nervousness should leave him once he steps on 
the field of battle. 

Nervousness is a sign of keenness. Keenness 
is the result of correct training. Training 
means the difference between staleness and 
keenness and is therefore a vital necessity to 
any player who desires to succeed. A tennis 
player who desires to stand the strain of a long, 
hard tournament season must train—or fail. 

Staleness is mental , not physical. Its cause is 
mental, its effect physical. Training requires 
just as much psychology as it does exercise. 




17 


S'pal ding's Athletic Library 

Most men seem to think there is no halfway 
mark in training between the life of wine, 
women and song and the foolish restrictions of 
the college training table. To forego the former 
is not training. It is only common sense. To 
attempt the latter and play tennis is folly. 
A midcourse is open and should be set. 

Where a man is attending primarily to 
business and playing some tournament tennis 
on the side, the resultant balance, while a 
little too heavy toward business so that tennis 
naturally suffers, supplies the needed diversity 
of thought to avoid staleness. This man may 
be under-exercised and under-practised, but he 
never will be stale. 


18 


Spalding's Athletic Library 


Chapter IV 

ADVICE TO THE TOURNAMENT 

PLAYER 

The player who is over-tennised is the one 
who goes stale. To the player who is playing 
tournament tennis all summer I am offering the 
following few suggestions:— 

1. When on the court, tennis is the primary 
object in your life. Once through your match, 
forget tennis, if possible, until you again take 
the court. 

2 . Have at least one other interest equally 
important to you and turn to it regularly, so as 
to keep the mental balance necessary to prevent 
staleness. I suggest the theater, music and 
the movies for amusement, while golf, bridge 
or automobiling afford excellent relaxation from 
the strain of tennis. Golf is fine during a 
period between tournaments, but do not try to 
play it at the same time as tennis, for it seriously 
affects your game. 




19 


Spaldings Athletic Library 

3. Eat well, wisely and at regular intervals. 
Do not worry about “training table” diet 
except immediately preceding big matches. 
Then eat only plain, hearty food and not too 
much of it. 

4. Get plenty of sleep. Retire at a normal 
hour. Do not force yourself to go to bed at an 
abnormally early hour, but suit your incli¬ 
nation. Arise when you see fit. Be natural 
in your actions and do not force yourself to 
follow an unnatural schedule. 

5. Naturally, alcohol in any form is rank 
suicide to a match player, and tobacco should be 
avoided during the hardest strain, as it shortens 
the wind and slows up the eye. 

The keynote of successful training is normal¬ 
ity of living, avoidance of worry and too great 
a concentration of thought on the matter at 
hand. 

If a player will follow these few principles 
I believe they will carry him through the hard¬ 
est season. I found them eminently success¬ 
ful during the Davis Cup trip of 1920. 


The topspin drive of Robert Lindley Murray. An admirable 
example ot the “lift” drive, also employed by Kumagae. The 
racket is brought up sharply on the near side of the head and does 
not cross the body. Note the forward movement of the body, 
weight on the proper foot and “eye on the ball.” The body is 
not turned sideways sufficiently. Murray is a left-handed player. 











Spalding's Athletic Library 


21 


Chapter V 

CONSERVATION OF ENERGY 

At this point let me take up a question that 
is closely relative to the foregoing, and that is the 
conservation of energy during any given match. 

The great majority of tournament players 
never give the matter of reserve energy even a 
thought. The reason is that it is seldom they 
are engaged in a match sufficiently hard to 
force them to the limit. Yet, in the ultimate 
issue of many a championship match, it is the 
man with the reserve who, in the final games, 
can call forth an added bit of speed, that brings 
home the victory. 

It is the lack of a reserve that has cost 
Robert Lindley Murray many a close match. 
It is the loss of a part of this reserve through 
the insidious approach of age that today beats 
Norman Brookes. It is the ability to bring 
forth this reserve in the final crisis that wins 
for Billy Johnston and Dick Williams. 



22 Spalding’s Athletic Library 

It is the formation and conservation of this 
reserve on which I would dwell. 

A player must be extended to the limit and 
meet defeat before he has any adequate gauge 
of his game. Once that is done, then he knows 
just what he is capable of producing in the 
crisis. It is for this reason that I always 
urge boys to learn to play five-set matches 
while young. 

Having once found your limit, you should 
play all matches possible well within yourself. 
Your tennis life will be much longer. It does 
not matter how badly you beat a man, pro¬ 
vided you beat him, and the danger of extend¬ 
ing yourself to the limit daily is that when the 
big test comes you will have expended all your 
reserve and have nothing left. 

If, however, you meet a player who is playing 
you even or beating you at your average 
game, never fail to be willing to play to the 
last ounce of strength in your body and breath 
in your lungs and let the future take care of 
itself, for unless you call out your best and 


Spalding’s Athletic Library 23 

win this match, there will not be any future 
for which to make reservations. 

If you are two sets up in a three-out-of-five- 
set match, having gained them both by a 
close score, do not call on your reserve for 
the third set. Win it if you can by your regular 
play, but make your victory certain by running 
your opponent as far as possible, since he 
must call out his all now or never, to have 
even a chance. Then, should you lose that set, 
call on your best for the fourth, and take it. 

The best way to conserve your energy in a 
match is to cut out all unnecessary steps. Let 
your ball boy do your work for you when you 
want a ball. Take your time between points, but 
do not stall. Never chase an absolutely hopeless 
shot , but always go to the limit for any 
shot you have a reasonable chance to reach. 

The effect of remarkable recoveries on the 
other man’s game I deal with in a later portion 
of this book. 

One of the greatest conservations of energy 
in a long match is that of putting your first 


service into court. 


24 Spalding’s Athletic Library 

The amount of labor wasted by players 
throwing away a first service through careless¬ 
ness is incredible. Sometimes that added bit 
saved in service may spell victory in the 
fifth set. 

Norman E. Brookes, with his quiet catlike 
movements, unhurried walk andever-alert man¬ 
ner, is a perfect example of the energy-conserving 
player. You never see Brookes needlessly chase 
a shot or waste an unnecessary step in reaching 
the ball. No flurry or hurry in his movements. 
He never seems to travel quickly, yet he is 
always in front of the ball. He is a marvelous 
example of a great match player. 


Spalding s Athletic Library 


25 


Chapter VI 

PSYCHOLOGY OF TENNIS 

Championship tennis is fundamentally psy¬ 
chology. It is not racket work. The stroke 

O J 

equipment among the first flight players varies 
greatly as to style, but it is adequate in all 
cases. Even though there are noted players 
who have not orthodox games, notably, Wallace 
F. Johnson, with his chop stroke; Watson M. 
Washburn, with his “slap drive” and Ichiya 
Kumagae, with his “loop drive,” there are none 
who need to worry seriously over the mere 
matter of hitting the ball. In other words, it 
is not the question of how to hit it that is the 
big factor of championship tennis. It is where 
to hit , and why > that counts. 

For that reason I will discard entirely all 
questions of stroke technique and footwork, 
since I am taking it for granted that my readers 
are familiar with all there is to tell concerning 
these, and I will discuss tactics, generalship and 
psychology. 




Willis E. Davis watching the direction of his baseline chop to 
the backhand. He has had to run to reach the ball and the 
body weight has followed to the right foot. Note the “Western 
grip” of the racket. 








27 


Spalding's Athletic Library 

Personally, I believe that matches are won 
by the brain and not by the brawn a player 
possesses. If I once can feel I have broken my 
opponent’s confidence I am convinced I will 
win. I always realize I am in danger so long 
as my opponent is trying the unexpected, be¬ 
cause it tells me he is still confident and keen. 

A beaten man is always obvious in de¬ 
feat. The dangerous player is the man who 
grows mentally keener the closer defeat ap¬ 
proaches him. Such a player is found in the 
person of William M. Johnston, Wallace F. 
Johnson or Watson M. Washburn. These men 
are never so dangerous as when behind, and for 
that reason are great match players. 



A difficult backhand smash by Norman E. Brookes. Both 
racket and body position indicate a smash to the backhand corner, 
as does the glance of the player. The ball was taken high and 
was delivered with force, shown by the muscles of the forearm, 
the extended racket and the tenseness of the whole body position. 
A difficult stroke, well executed. 












Spalding's Athletic Library 


29 


Chapter VII 

THE MATCH PLAYER 

What is it that makes this type of player? 
It is sheer determination to win. Their motto 
is, “Always change a losing ^ame,” with the 
result that just when you think you have them 
hopelessly defeated, they will spring a new 
method of attack that upsets your whole theory 
of play. 

How is this done? Let me illustrate from 
some famous matches. In the 1920 Davis 
Cup contests in New Zealand, Norman E, 
Brookes, playing William M. Johnston, led the 
American by one set and 5-2. Johnston had 
been playing a baseline game up to this point. 
With defeat staring him in the face, Johnston 
threw caution to the winds and stormed the 
net at every opportunity. The sudden change 
of tactics surprised Brookes. For a moment he 
faltered. That moment proved his undoing. 
Johnston pulled even and from then to the 
end was never seriously in danger. 



39 Spaldings Athletic Library 

Another notable example of a sudden change 
resulting in victory was the famous Johnston- 
Williams final match of the 1916 American 
Championship, only this time Johnston was the 
victim. Williams, who was trailing 0-3 in 
the fifth set, changed his net attack to a bril¬ 
liant, sustained driving game that pulled out 
the match. 

There are innumerable matches that could 
be cited, but they all merely prove the value of 
the motto, “Always change a losing game,’’ and 
its equally important converse corollary, “Never 
change a winning game.’’ 


Spalding s Athletic Library 


31 


Chapter VIII 

CHANGING ONE’S GAME 

There are several ways of changing a game: 

1. Change your general style. 

That is, if you are losing from the baseline, 
change to a net game, or vice versa. 

2 . Change the pace of your game. 

If you are losing because you are hitting 
too hard and thus missing your shots, slow up 
and play the more cautious style of pat-ball. 
On the other hand, should your opponent be 
reaching your shots easily at the net and kill¬ 
ing them because they are too slow, throw away 
a little accuracy for increased speed. 

3. Change your stroke. 

If your drive is not working, try your chop. 
Should your chop be hopelessly off, change to 
a drive. 

Lest I be accused of giving absolutely impos¬ 
sible advice, let me say here that I am not 



Backhand volley by William T. Tilden, 2d. Note suppleness 
of body, the perfect balance, the upward flight of the ball, fol¬ 
lowed by the glance. Compare Alonso’s low backhand volley. 








33 


Spal ding’s Athletic Library 

advocating Wallace Johnson, who is a purely 
chop stroke player, discarding it for a drive, 
which he cannot play at all, just because he is 
facing defeat. I am advising the change to 
those players who have both strokes, but neither 
one in a marked superiority. The change-of- 
stroke style is not so important as the court 
position change or pace change. 

The question of when to change your game 
puzzles many players. In a two-out-of-three set 
match, one set and a material lead, such as 3-1 
or 4-2, against you, is ample proof your game is 
a losing one and you might just as well discard it. 

On the other hand, a set down, at 6-3, result¬ 
ing from one break of your service, while your 
opponent, who served first, held his, is no proof 
your game will not win in the end, so stay with it. 

One break of service may be due to luck, 
and is no sign of inferiority; but two or three 
breaks indicate a need for a change of method. 
In a five-set match it requires two sets to 
signify that your game is bad and needs a 
change. 



The famous Spanish player, Alonso, intercepting an attempted 
pass on his backhand at the net. Position of racket and ball indi¬ 
cate a successful return. Note how wrist is turned back in order 
to give necessary upward slant to racket. Right foot should be 
in advance of left. Because it is not, the whole body is twisted 
in order to bring right shoulder forward. 








Spaldi ng s A till die Lib ra ry 


35 


Chapter IX 

IMPORTANCE OF PLAYING TO THE 

SCORE 

Changing one’s game is so closely allied to 
playing to the score that I am now going to 
consider this point. I consider playing to the 
score the most important point in match play, 
from the standpoint of effect on your chances. 

In a two-out-of-three-set match, the first set 
is the big advantage for which one should strive. 
In a three-out-of-five, it is two of the first three 
sets. 

In any given set, the crucial games are usually 
the fifth to the seventh, inclusive, although one 
should strive to gain an advantage to consoli¬ 
date at that period, by gaining two of the first 
three or three of the first four games played. 

Admitting a lead of 3-1, the server should 
bend every effort to make that 4-1, which 
practically insures the set. A 4-1 lead is very 
big and produces a corresponding depression 



36 Spalding’s Athletic Library 

on the other man while increasing your own 
confidence. On the other hand, a break of 
service results in 2-3; that requires only holding 
delivery to pull even at 3-all. 

The same argument applies to 4-2, which 
means the 5-2, and so often results, through 
carelessness, in 3-4. 

Many players forget that one break of 
service costs a two-game lead. It is usually 
lost if you drop your own delivery once. 
In reality, you should consider it only as one 
game. You can see readily how much more 
important 5-2 is to you than 3-4, yet a player 
at 4-2 is apt to be very careless through a mis¬ 
taken feeling of security, and not put forth the 
special effort necessary to meet the increase in 
intent to win by his opponent, who must pull out 
that seventh game to have a chance for the set. 

The second and third points of the game, par¬ 
ticularly the latter, are the vital points. They are 
the difference between 30-0, a big advantage, or 
15-all, which is none, or 30-15 and 4O-0. 

A player at 30-0 thinks he can afford to take 
a chance on the next point, yet if he loses it his 


Spal ding’s Athletic Library 37 

opponent needs but one more point to even the 
score, while care may well give him 4O-0 and 
three chances for the game. 

Play carefully and keep the ball in play on 
the vital points until an opening is offered. Do 
not take unnecessary chances merely because 
you lead at 30-0. 

With a 40-0 lead, play your point carefully. 
If you lose it for 40-15, take your chance then 
and play the 4O-30 point carefully if you fail. 
In other words, play two points carefully to one 
on a chance, with the game at stake. 

If you are down 0-40, take your chance 
here and possibly at 15-40, for you stand to 
lose the game anyway. If you pull to 30-40, do 
not risk throwing away your effort in pulling 
up to 30-4O by taking an unnecessary chance, 
but await your opening before hitting for a kill. 

Whenever you have nothing to win and 
everything to lose, await your opening and 
do not risk your victory by a rash shot. If 
you have everything to win and nothing to 
lose, and you are seemingly hopelessly lost, 
then take your chance and hit to win. 



Howard Voshell volleying. Note the position of the feet, 
perpendicular to the net, the left shoulder forward, the 
crouched position, bringing the eye nearer the level of the ball. 
Another left-handed player. 














Spalding's Athletic Library 


39 


Chapter X 

TURNING LOSING SHOTS INTO 
WINNERS 

Few players realize the importance of the 
shots they miss. The psychology of the shots 
we miss is just as important as that of the 
shots we make. 

All players know how discouraging it is to 
play a man who reduces his errors to a minimum. 
The eternal return of the ball annoys a 
player tremendously in a hard match. It 
shakes his confidence; yet think how far more 
upsetting it is to a player to have one of his 
best shots reached and aced after he has 
considered the point won. Now, you will not 
get all the recoveries you try for. Remember 
this: If you get to a seemingly impossible 
return hit it to win outright. It is only in 
that way you have a chance. Should you 
get away with it, you have won a point that 
really was already counted for the other man. 




Typical English backhand of F. Gordon Lowe. Note the right 
angle between the arm and racket, in contradistinction to the 
American method, in which the arm and racket are in one straight 
line. Lowe has just sliced a ball down his backhand alley, his 
favorite stroke. Note the eye following the ball, the advancing 
motion of the body, and the weight on the right leg. 








41 


Spalding's Athletic Library 

You have scored twice, for you have upset his 
confidence and at the same time turned a 
certain loss into a point for you. 

Yet it is not the ones you make that count 
the most, for you will only make about one in 
six or seven. It is the shot you almost make 
that counts. The near-winner that causes 
your opponent to expect the return and look 
for it next time, with the result that he may 
miss a weak return while expecting a hard 
one, is a valuable asset to a match player. 
That is the reason I try for every shot I can 
reach with my racket. How often do we see 
a very important point lost by a player netting 
a seeming easy kill. The answer is, he was 
expecting a hard return of a type his opponent 
had almost made from the same place once 
before, and the easy return tooled him. 



Norman E. Brookes smashing. The body position is perfect and 
indicates a well controlled balance. Note the “eye on the ball”, 
weight on right foot and forward movement of the whole body. 














43 


Spa!ding's Athletic Library 
Chapter XI 

WINNING ON OPPONENT’S 
WEAKNESSES 

The keynote of match play is to destroy 
your opponent’s confidence and break up his 
game. You can not win outright enough 
points to defeat him. You must win on his 
errors. Anything that tends to break up his 
game is of value to you. 

The methods to follow are:— 

1. Always force your opponent to play a 

shot he dislikes. 

2 . Never give him his favorite stroke. 

3. Always pound a weakness. 

4. Never admit your own weakness by attempt¬ 

ing to run around it. 

Let us consider these carefully in that order. 

1. Always force your opponent to play a 

shot he dislikes. 





Vincent Richards making a remarkable return at the net. The ball has almost passed him 
y e , * s rac . et ls position to return the ball to his opponent’s backhand. The body position 
and that or the left and right arms are perfect and indicate why Richards is able to make such 













Spalding 9 s Athletic Library 45 

It is not so much the particular shot that 
is weak that I am treating here as the style of 
game to use. 

If you find a player has a hole in his game 
on low shots, chop to him. 

If he is a net man with a weakness over¬ 
head, lob to him repeatedly. 

If he is a hard hitter he will like speed, so 
change your pace and play pat-ball. 

The point I am making is, play him with 
your head more than with your racket and 
strive to force him to play his strokes off a 
return that never gives him the ball where he 
likes it. 

2 . Never give your opponent his favorite 
shot. 

This is the converse of the former motto. 
If a man has an outstanding strength, stay 
away from it, just as it is obvious to pound a 
weakness. 

There are exceptions to this rule, however. 
If a player has an outstanding strength and 



Nat W. Niles reaching for low forehand volley. Racket position 
indicates that he will return the stroke straight down the line. 
Note “Eastern grip” and the great reach made possible by its use. 




















47 


Spalding's Athletic Library 

a corresponding glaring weakness, there are 
times when one must play to the strength to 
open the weakness. If you do not, the player 
may so far cover his weakness by standing 
almost over it, knowing you will not play to 
his strength, that he has reduced by half the 
court he must cover and at the same time 
increased his own best shot, because he has 
opened the angle into your court. Against 
this man, play wide to his strength and then 
shoot fast to his weakness off his return shot. 

Excellent examples of players who profited 
by the fear of their strength to cover up glaring 
weaknesses, and who should be played to 
their strength to open their court, are Maurice 
E. McLoughlin, Wallace F. Johnson, John 
Strachan and, to a less degree, William M. 
Johnston, who are all feared for their forehand 
and thus cover a backhand weakness by running 
around the ball. 

This is not necessary in Johnston’s case, 
for his forehand is used merely by preference, 
since his backhand is adequate and at all 
times dangerous. 



J. B. Adoue making a backhand crosscourt slice, as indicated 
by the position of the feet, the glance and the racket, the 
latter being swung well out to the right. 



















Spalding’s Athletic Library 49 

Theodore Roosevelt Pell is an example of a 
player who reverses the situation by having 
his strength on his backhand and running 
around his forehand. He, too, should be 
played to his strength, in order to open the 
court to his weakness. 

3 . Always pound a weakness. 

Every player, no matter how great, has 
some place in his game that has a fundamental 
weakness. As soon as you go on the court 
to warm up against him, search for it. You 
will find it sooner or later. 

The average player of the championship class 
has a hole in his game, on a deep drive to the 
backhand corner. Should you find this to 
be the case, concentrate your attack on that 
point and force him to play as many shots 
from his deep backhand as you can put there. 

The effect of this will be one of two things: 
either he will break up under the strain of 
your forcing attack and miss many shots, or, 
what is more likely, he will attempt to defend 


50 Spalding's Athletic Library 

this weakness by running around it and play 
the shot on his forehand, thus opening up 
his forehand sideline. More of that at a later 
point under No. 4. 

4. Never admit your own weakness by 
attempting to run around the ball. 

The reasons why it does not pay to run 
around a weakness in match play have been 
covered in discussing the other three mottos, 
but the effect of it is something every player 
should realize. It not only loses important 
matches for you, because in time someone 
will get to your weakness, but it lopsides your 
game. Maurice E. McLoughlin never was 
the great player William M. Johnston is today, 
because of the hole he had in his game through 
running around his backhand. By so doing 
he never acquired a sound backhand, and 
once his loss of speed of foot deprived him of 
his ability to cover court, his downfall was 
swift and certain. 

George Church, Lin Murray, Elia Fottrell 
and the other exponents of the net attack, with- 


51 


Spalding’s Athletic Library 

out sound groundstrokes, have not been, and 
never will be, quite first class, owing to the 
weakness they covered up, yet which beats 
them in the end. 

A weakness only can be overcome by con¬ 
stant, painstaking practise, and running around 
it, in order to use your favorite shot, leaves a 
hole in your game that cannot be filled except 
by stopping that method and working on the 
correct stroke at the weak point. 



Irving C. Wright slicing to the backhand. Note the firm grip of the racket, the eye following 
the ball and the weight coming onto the left foot, as he follows his stroke to the net. 










S pal ding’s Athletic Library 


53 


Chapter XII 

THE SWING OF THE PENDULUM 

No matter how great a player may be, 
time will produce a greater. Smith of Eng¬ 
land met his Doherty; Rice of Australia met 
his Brookes; McLoughlin of America met his 
Williams, who in turn met his Johnston. So it 
behooves all tennis players to realize that no 
matter what their position now, sometime and 
somewhere they will meet their superior. 

Only by retaining an open mind, ready to 
listen to and try out suggestions, can a player 
hope to retain his position today. There are so 
many good players and so many more coming. 

What is the ultimate aim? Where is the 
tennis pendulum swinging? lo what goal 
should we strive? 

Tennis is completing a cycle. The game 
under the English influence of Smith, Gore and 
the Dohertys, which gave America its Sears, 
Slocum and Larned, was a splendidly conceived 






The Japanese player, Shimizu, making a low backhand volley. The feet are correctly placed, 
the thumb is back of the racket and the shoulders are at right angles to the net. Note that 
the racket head is below the wrist, in contradistinction to the British method, which insists 
upon the racket head being higher than the wrist. The body is advancing to meet the ball 
and his return should leave him in command of the net. 









Spalding's Athletic Jbihrary 55 

but somewhat mechanical baseline attack. 
Then came Dwight Davis, donor of the famous 
Davis Cup, with his new American service and 
advance to the net. 

Holcombe Ward and Reals Wright were prod¬ 
ucts of this period. They were the forerunners 
of the next epoch, the age of speed. 

The men I have just mentioned were es¬ 
sentially net players, but based their attack on 
placement rather than speed. 

It was from this period that a tennis genius, 
twenty years ahead of his time, combining the 
virtues of all games with the vices of none, 
burst into the tennis world. 

This man was Norman E. Brookes, who, 
back in 1902 , was playing the same type game 
that is still winning today in his game and that 
of William M. Johnston. True, Brookes never 
has had the blinding speed of some players, 
but for all that he was the pioneer of modern 
tennis. 

In 19 O 9 a meteor shot through the tennis 
sky and during his brief span of six years of 



The Backhand Slice. William M. Johnston making an offen¬ 
sive backhand slice down the alley, his favorite backhand 
stroke. Note the fully extended arm, the “Western grip” 
and the body weight on the right foot. The left arm serves as 
a balance and the eye follows the ball. 














57 


Spaldings Athletic Library 

leadership Maurice Evans McLoughlin revolu¬ 
tionized the game. He was the missionary of 
Speed. It was service, smash and volley. The 
pendulum had swung to its farthest point. 

McLoughlin was the antithesis of Gore. For 
five years all rising young players copied 
McLoughlin, with the result that the ground- 
stroke became a lost art, while the American 
service and net attack became world famous. 

Then the reaction began. R. N. Williams, 
2 nd, and William M. Johnston proved con¬ 
clusively that perfect groundstrokes will defeat 
the best net attack in the world if it is un¬ 
supported by a ground game. For in these 
two men were combined sound groundstrokes 
and a net attack with which they followed up 
the opening they had made with the former. 

The cycle was almost closed, “Twenty years 
from groundstrokes to groundstrokes,” if I 
may paraphrase a famous saying. Yet it is 
hardly the same. There have been certain 
changes. The circle will never completely close. 



A sliced backhand volley, taken shoulder-high by Frank T. 
Anderson. The position of the racket seems to indicate a place¬ 
ment to the forehand sideline, but the correct position of the feet 
and body permit a crosscut shot if desired. 














Spalding s Athletic Library 


59 


Chapter XIII 

MODERN TENNIS AN ALL-ROUND 

GAME 

The modern game is essentially a baseline 
one. By that I mean the net attack on service 
is rapidly passing away. Yet the leading 
exponents of the game, Brookes, Johnston, 
Williams and Gobert, all use a net attack to 
finish off the points. They fight for advantage 
from the baseline and press it home from the 
net. 

The groundstroke itself has changed in 
character. The old style was a long, flat 
drive that seldom hit inside the service line 
and the majority fell within six feet of the 
baseline. 

There was little variety of depth to the old 
game. The ball was hit on the fall of the 
bound after it had crossed the crest. The 
modern ground-stroke is hit with much more 
topspin so the length and angle may be more 
varied. 



60 


Spalding's Athletic Library 

The main change in the stroke has been in 
the relation of the player to the bounce of 
the ball. He has moved in on it by several 
feet and now hits the ball at the top of the 
bound or on its rise, thus shortening the time 
and increasing the speed of the game. The 
modern players use the ground-stroke to open 
the way to the net. They advance behind it 
and end off the point with the volley and 
smash. 


Spalding’s Athletic Library 


61 


Chapter XIV 


THE FUTURE CHAMPION 

Let me outline my idea of the Champion of 
the Future, summed up in a concrete, composite 
player:— 

1. The Service of Willis Davis. 

2. The Forehand Drive of William M. 

Johnston. 

3. The Backhand Driveof R. N.Williams,2d. 

4. The Forehand Chop of Wallace F. 

Johnson. 

5. The Backhand Chop of J. J. Armstrong. 

6. The High Volley of R. L. Murray or 

William M. Johnston. 

7. The Low Volley of Vincent Richards. 

8. The Overhead of S. H. Voshell. 

9. The Half-Volley of R. N. Williams, 2d. 

10. The Lob of Wallace F. Johnson. 

11. The Footwork of William M. Johnston. 

12. The Court Tactics of Samuel Hardy and 

F. B. Alexander. 

Obviously, this mythical player would be a 
superman; but the point I am trying to drive 




62 Spalding's Athletic Library 

home is the fact that the Champion of the 
Future must have an absolutely all-around game 
developed to the highest in every department. 

The all-court game is just reaching recogni¬ 
tion under Johnston, Williams and myself, 
and we a»*e all far from the perfection of which 
this style game is capable. Therefore I wish 
to point out to your expert of today that if he 
is weak in any department of the game there 
is yet a future development for him so long as 
any weakness remains. 

It is becoming essential for the leading 
players to be able to mix a chop and a drive. 
I believe in making the drive the basis of your 
game, but using the chop as an alternate. 

So let us keep this idea of the all-court, all- 
star game as our goal and work to combine in 
one player the qualities that individually have 
made stars in the past. 

The greatest player in the world, no matter 
who he may be, is capable of improvement 
so long as health and youth are his. Why not 
make the most of your chances and be the 
Champion of the Future ! 



T ! ENNIS demands the best of every player’s ability. 
' The play is hard and fast and keen. To go into a 
match handicapped by improper or poor equip¬ 
ment is to sacrifice an opportunity to play a better 
game. Choose your racket, your shoes, your tennis 
balls or whatever you need with care, looking always 
for those articles in which you know you can place 
absolute confidence. 

The Spalding trade mark identifies tennis equipment 
worthy of your approval for three important reasons— 
designed by men who play the game, made in our own 
factories, and sold at prices which represent in every 
case full value given for value received. 






















“Hitting them where they ain’t” is an axiom of base ball, but equally 
applicable to tennis. 

Practice is, of course, the prime essential, but no amount of practice will 
overcome the inherent defects of obsolete methods in tennis ball con¬ 
struction. You may get some good ones—occasionally—but the percent¬ 
age will be against you—Old Man Plug attends to that. 

The Spalding Official Two-Piece Plugless Ball—unstitched cover—is 
the acme of accuracy and its durability and speed are the inevitable 
results of scientific manufacture. 

Clay courts far outnumber all others in this country. Not only in the National 
Clay Court championship but on clay courts everywhere, from sectional events 
to municipal tournaments, the Spalding “Official” ball is the acknowledged 
leader. 






















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SPALDING 

Autograph Racket 

A LL of the wood that goes 
r\ into the Spalding fac¬ 
tory to be made into 
tennis rackets does not in¬ 
variably come out as such. 
Incessant inspection and con¬ 
tinuous elimination narrow 
the selection to a compara¬ 
tively small percentage of 
original strips. It is this 
everlasting attention to the 
minutest detail that makes 
a Spalding “Autograph” ten¬ 
nis racket as much a prize 
to the player as is a cher¬ 
ished violin to the master. 






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W HETHER “expert” or 
just plain “dub,” 
there is only one way 
to relieve the tension of ten¬ 
nis and that is by the use of 
Spalding equipment. The 
mental hazard of inferior 
equipment is often sufficient 
to decide a close match. 


A Spalding catalogue gives the 
details, but it is worth a trip to a 
Spalding store to swing bat after 
bat until you get one that fairly 
‘‘telegraphs" its suitability. 

























































































































rr 


Permatite 


99 


T HE vital part of a racket is in the strings. No 
nicety of weight or balance can counteract the 
failure to properly react to impact of ball. In the 
stringing rests either defeat or victory. 

With “Permatite'' strings, however, you take no chance. 
“Permatite ” eliminates sagging, snapping or the life¬ 
less reaction that weather or imperfections in ordinary 

strings produces. “ Perma - 
tile” will keep its tautness 
regardless of atmosphere. 
It is undoubtedly the most 
important advance in con¬ 
nection with tennis con¬ 
struction that has been de¬ 
vised since the origination 
of the game. Necessarily, 
it is most economical. 

“Permatite” is furnished 
in SpaldingNos. HAW and 
AAW Autograph rackets, 
or you can have your 
racket restrung with it at 
any Spalding store. 






























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Rajah 
Soles 

L IGHTNESS of foot is absolutely essential in tennis. 

. Accuracy of placement and finesse of play are not 
of much avail when the feet are burdened with 
ill-fitting shoes. In the new Spalding “Rajah” crepe 
rubber sole Spalding tennis shoes have a material on 
a par with their quality of leather and accuracy of fit. 

‘'Rajah” soles have a generous quantity of rubber, 
much thicker than ordinarily used on rubber soled 
shoes, yet so light and resilient that the effect is of 
stepping on air, thus avoiding the incessant impact and 
shock to the foot that is so continuous and wearing, 
especially in hard court play. 

Every tennis player owes it to himself to examine the 
merits and advantages of Spalding “Rajah” soles. 

























DWIGHT F. DAVIS. President 
TREASURY BUILDING, WASHINGTON. 0. C. 


GEORGE W. WIGHTMAN, Vice-President 

60 STATE STREET, BOSTON, MA8S. 


PAUL B. WILLIAMS. SECRETARY 

UTICA PRESS, UTICA, N. Y. 


LOUIS B. DAILEY, TREASURER 
120 BROAOWAY. NEW YORK CITY 


United States Lawn Tennis Association 


EDWARD B. MOSS. Executive Secretary 
20 BROAD STREET 
NEW YORK CITY 


Cable address 
* ‘USLAWTENIS, •• New York 
ABC- Bentley Codes 


TELEPHONE. RECTOR 3547 


Offloe of the Secretary 


Utica. N. Y 


February 14, 1923 


A. G. Spalding & Bros. 

124-128 Nassau Street 
New YorE City. 

Gentlemen:- 

I have the honor to advise you 
that the annual meeting of the United states 
Lawn Tennis Association held on February 3, 
1923, adopted the Spalding ball for use in 
the National Clay Court Championships dur¬ 
ing the season of 1923. 


Yours sincerely 



Secretary. 











S7Ae BA 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 


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